Gladiolus plant named &#39;Georgia Peach&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct gladiolus cultivar, designated ‘Georgia Peach’, shown and described. Compared to the ‘Spic +Span’ variety, the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar produced three to four more flowers per stem, is four to six inches taller, and will maintain three to four more flowers in open bloom. The ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar is able to maintain up to seven to eight flowers in open bloom simultaneously, beginning with a tight cut stem.

[0001] The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of aGladiolus plant referred to by the cultivar name ‘Georgia Peach.’

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

[0002]FIG. 1 is a photograph of a ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar plant inbloom.

[0003] FIGS. 2-3 are photographs of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar plantprior to blooming.

[0004]FIG. 4 is a photograph of a corm of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivarplant.

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION

[0005] The new cultivar was originated by the Applicant in a controlledproprietary breeding program in Ft. Myers, Fla. wherein selectedgladiolus varieties were crossed. The female parent was a gladiolusvariety named ‘Dr. Magee,’ characterized in part by having a small pinkbloom, a short stem having a short flower head, and high resistance toFusarium fungi species. The male parent was a red gladiolus varietynamed ‘T-111,’ characterized by having a long head, high bloom count,and good stem production. The seeds were planted in Ft. Myers, Fla., andthe selection of ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar was made in spring 1988.Asexual reproduction of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar was achieved bycollecting cormels from the first corm. All subsequent asexualreproductions of the ‘Georgia Peach’ are true to the original variety.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

[0006] The accompanying color photograph (FIG. 1) shows theinflorescence and various stages of blooming of the ‘Georgia Peach’cultivar plant.

[0007] The bud size of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar is about 6 cm inlength. The flowers of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar each comprise fourto five large petals with one to two small petals, all overlapping. Thecolor of the corolla bloom is a strawberry red deep within the throat ofthe bloom, a cream color extending toward the outside of the bloom andterminating at the edge of the bloom with a peachy pink color. Smalllines run up the middle of each petal. The diameter of the entire bloomis about 11 cm.

[0008] The spike of the plant is about 125 cm to 130 cm when grown fromJumbo size corms (1.75 inch and larger) in Ecuador. It should be noted,however, that various factors will affect spike length, includingtemperature (larger spikes occur in cooler weather), irrigation, lightintensity, fertilization, soil type (larger spikes occur in heavy soilsversus sandy soil), and bulb size (larger bulbs result in largerspikes). The pistils of the flower are white, and the stamens are pink.

[0009] The corms of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar are typical for thegladiolus and have a yellow color under the husk (FIG. 4).

[0010] The leaf color of the ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar is green andtapers to a point with parallel veins running the length of the leaf(FIGS. 2-3).

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

[0011] Compared to the gladiolus variety ‘Spic +Span,’ the ‘GeorgiaPeach’ cultivar produces three to four more flowers per stem, is four tosix inches taller, and will maintain three to four more flowers in openbloom. The ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar will, in fact, be able to maintainup to seven to eight flowers in open bloom simultaneously, beginningwith a tight cut stem.

[0012] The foliage stands fairly straight during growth, and thecultivar harvests one week faster than the pink variety ‘Friendship.’

[0013] The ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar is very resistant to attack byFusarium and Curvalaria fungi species and does not attract worms or redspiders. The ‘Georgia Peach’ is also tolerant to high temperaturesexperienced in August through October in Florida as well as temperaturesexperienced in mid-winter.

[0014] The flowers open fast in the field and blooms well under short oralong day lengths. The ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar stems may be cut tight,shipped dry for a week, and still bloom well afterwards.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct gladiolus cultivar ‘Georgia Peach’, asshown and described herein.